Telephone cabinet or housing



June '5, 1923.

7 1,457,347 F. COLLINS TELEPHONE CABINET OR HOUSING 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 8, 1921 migp INVENTOR ATTORNEY June 5, 1923.

F. COLLINS TELEPHONE CABINET OR HOUSING Filed Sept 8, 1921 5 Sheets-She'et 2 INVENTOR fiazzi l/Zaf ATTOZJNEY' A 'IIZIUII/I/IIIIII/ll/ June 5, 1923.

F. COLLINS TELEPHONE CABINET OR HOUSING 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Sept. 8, 1921 RM m/ l m C W A ORNEY Patented June 5, 1923,

PATENT,

FRANK- ooLLI'Ns', OE'NEWVYORVK, N. r

I TELEPHONE CABINET on HOUSING.

. Applicationi iled September 8,1921; Serial N'o. 499,168.

To'aZZ whom it concern I Be it knownthat I, FRANK C'o LINs, a citizen of the United States, and a residentof New York city, in the borough and county of the Bronx, city and State of New York, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Telephone Cabinets or Housings, of which the following is a specification. I

This invention relates to an iinprovedtelephone cabinet or housing of-that character which is adapted to conceal or enclose the telephone instrument and is of ornamental design so as to harmonize with the furnishings of a room or apartment.

The primary ob'ect-of I he presentprovement is to provide such a cabinetor I housing for the instrument having translucent side walls or panels and means for illuminating the interiorof thecabin'et when the telephone instrument'is enclosed-therein.

Inone embodiment of the invention I provide an electric lamp having suitable circuit connections-and mounted within a part of the cabinet structure and a switch located in the lamp circuit and automatically actuated by the telephone' instrument when the latter is positionedwithin-thecabinet to close the circult and illuminatethelamp. y In an alternative embodiment of the; invention I proposeto operate the lamp switchby means ofa movable part of the cabinet structure.

Ineach construction, however, when the telephone instrument is' exposed and in use the illuminating lamp'is extinguished so 'thatthe speaker will-not be annoyed by the glare of'light therefrom;

It is another obje ct cfthe invention to provide an ornamental cabinet or housing for telephone instruments as above characterized which is comparatively simple in its construction, may be manufactured and sold at, relativelysmall cost, and which, in use, provides afverji ornamental and attractive accessoryto the furnishings of a room. v

I With the above and other objectsfin view the inverition' resides in the improved telehonecabinet and in the form," construe tioh and relative arrangeinentiof its several p rts as will be hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in 'the"-- accompanyin drawings and subsequently incorporated in the subjoineid claims I I i I d U In-the drawings whereinI ha-veillustrated several practical and desirable embodiments of the-invention and which similarreference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views; Figure 1 is a side elevation of air-ornamental telephone cabinet or housing' constructed in accordance with oneembodiment of the invention; i

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional thereof; I I 7 i v F igureB is a horizontal section taken on the. line 3-3 of Figure 2; v I

Figure 4 is an enlargedfragmentary sectional; View illustrating theirnanner in which the lamp switchiisoperated; a ,c v Figure 5 isa plan iew ofthe transparent or translucent base plateofthe cabinet upon which the telephone is supported;

Figures 6 and 7 are side elevation and. Ivertical sectional views resp ctively, illustrating another embodiment oi theinventlon; v

Figure Sis afgplan view of the base portion of the cabinet shown in Figure Figure 9 is afragnientary vertical section showingthe lamp switch closed;

Figure 10 a detail'perspectiveview of the parts ofthejswitch seen in Figure I Figures 11" and 12 are side elevation and vertical sectional views respectively of another modified construction; and, V 'Figu'reil3 is' a fragmentary vertical seetion illustrating the lamp switch inclosed position. I I I Referring in detail to thedrawingsI I more p'articularlyrto Figures 1 to 5 Iiirclusive, in whichI have shown a cabinet -or-- housing of rectangular form, abaseor supporting section 5 of desired ornamental configuration is provided. L The body: structure 6 of the cabinet is "suitably" mountedat its lower end upon the ba'sezsectio'n and isin the form of a frame having sidepanels 7 (of translucent lessor other suitable semi opaque materia The cabinet bddy'oii one 1 8 also having a transl entjglass panel 9 set view therein. The upper portion of the door frame as well as the several sides of the body frame of the cabinet may be ornamentally cut or engraved in any preferred manner, as indicated at 10. The top 11 of the cabinet structure may also be provided with a suitable ornament as shown at 12.

The base section 5 of the cabinet is hollow or provided with a chamber 13 which accommodates the lamp bulb 14 connected to the socket 15 on one wall of the base 5. The circuit wires 16 which supply current from the house circuit are led in through the wall of the base 5 and connected to the contact elements of the socket.

The walls of the base 5 at their upper ends and at their inner sides are rabbeted to receive the edges of a base plate 17 of transparent or translucent glass. Beneath the lamp bulb 14 a concavo-convex reflecting disc 18 is arranged in the chamber 13 and reflects the light rays upwardly through the base plate 17. The circuit for the lamp 14 is closed through the medium of a switch which includes a yieldable spring metal part 19 fixed at one of its ends to one of the side walls of the base beneath the plate 17. One side of the lamp circuit is connected to this switch by the wall and the other side of this circuit is connected to a contact plate 20 secured to the opposite walls of the cabinet base. The switch part 19,is provided intermediate of its ends with an upstanding pin 21 disposed through an opening 22 centrally located in the plate 17 and normally projecting above the upper face of said plate, the free end of the switch part 19 overlying the contact plate 20. The telephone instrument 23 is adapted to be arranged within the cabinet upon the base plate 17, the diameter of said plate being sufficiently greater than the telephone base in order that the light rays from the lamp may be projected upwardly between the translucent panels of the cabinet all around the telephone instrument. The wires 24 for the telephone lead upwardly through the chamber 13 and may be readily drawn or pulled through a guide opening in the base 5 and an aligned opening 25 in the supporting plate 17 when the instrument is removed from the cabinet. However, in practise there will be sufficient slack in the telephone wires which maybe contained within the cabinet in order to permit the instrument to be freely withdrawn.

From the above description it will be apparent that while the telephone instrument is contained within the cabinet, with its base resting upon the supporting plate 17, the switch. part 19 is held in a depressed position by reason of the engagement of the telephone base with the pin 21. Thus said switch part is caused to engage the contact plate 20 and the circuit for the lamp 14 is closed. The interior of the cabinet or housingwill, therefore be illuminated and its structure or decorative features more prominently displayed. The area immediately surrounding the cabinet will likewise be 'dimly illuminated. vVhen the door 8 is 14 is mounted in the base 5 of the cabinet as above explained, but in this construction the cabinet body 6 is not provided with a hinged door, but is adapted to be bodily removed from its position in superposed relation to the base section as indicated in Figure 7 of the drawings. This cabinet body is, however, likewise provided with a series of translucent glass panels 7 and may be of hexagonal, octagonal or any other desired multi-sided form. The ornamental top portion 26 for this form of the cabinet is provided with a suitable handle 27 as a convenient means for removing the cabinet body or replacing the same upon the base section 5.

In the modified construction above referred to, the lamp switch is not closed by the telephone instrument, but in this case a vertically movable switch part 28 is mounted upon one of the side walls of the lamp chamber in. a suitable guide 29 and projects upwardly through an opening in the transparent ortranslucent supporting plate 17 for the instrument. The upper end of this switch part has a rigid horizontal arm 30" fixed thereto and a coil spring 31 disposed between said arm and the supporting plate 17 normally acts to project the switch part upwardly. At its lower end the switch part 28 terminates in a knife wedge 32 which is adapted to enter between the yieldable parts of the relatively fixed contact member 38.

It will be apparent from this construction that when the cabinet body 6 is arranged upon the base 5, the body wall at its lower end which sets within a flange 34 on the up per end of the base section, will engage the arm 30 and force said arm downwardly whereby the knife'wedge 32 of the movable switch part is engaged with the contact 33 and the circuit of the electric lamp 14' thus closed. Preferably, the upper surface of the supporting plate 17 for the telephone instrument is recessed to accommodate the 'arni'30 when the s'witch isclosed so"that the cabinet body at its lower-edge inay'fir'rnly seatupon the upper edgebf the supporting Plate 17- In Figu-res 11, 12 and 130i the drawingsi. have illustrated another alternativeform of.

the invention whereinthe cabinet or housing includes a base section 35, a body section 36 and a top section 37. In this case the lamp 14 is mounted within the hollow top section 37 of the cabinet, said top section being provided below the lamp with a horizontal panel or plate 17 of transparent or trans: lucent glass; The vertically disposed tube 38 extends through one corner of the cabinet and has its opposite ends fixed in the base and in theplate 17 respectively. Through this tube the wires 16 for the lamp extend.

Within the top section 37 of the cabinet the fixed and movable parts 39 and 40 respectively of the lamp switch are arranged and insulated from each other. The movable part of the switch is in the form of a resilient arm or plate fixed at one of its ends and extending downwardly through the recess 41 in the edge of the plate 17. The free end of this switch part is opposed to one of the doors 42 with" which the body 36 of the cabinet is provided and when these doors are closed this switch part 40 is moved into engagement with the part 39 so that the circuit for the lamp 14 is closed. In this case the light rays from the lamp are disseminated in a downward direction through the plate 17 and around the telephone instrument. If desired, a suitable re 'flector might also be provided in connection shown another arrangement of the, switch in the form of the invention as described in which the fixedswitch part or contact 39 is fixed to the base of the cabinet or housing and the movable part 40 is mounted for sliding or rectilinear movement therein, one and of this latter switch part being upwardly extended above the base for engagement by one of the doors when the latter is closed.

A spring 44 coacts with the switch part 40 and normally holds the same out of contact with the part 39' so that the circuit is broken.

From the foregoing description considered in oonnectionwith the accompanying drawings, the construction, manner of operation and the several advantages of the invention will be dearl and any understood By providing such means forilluminating the interior of the cabinetf or housing 1 for "the tenphone- -instrument,-ithe' attractive1*appeamnee of the cabinet when tlie instrume'rit present invention *isreadily adaptable to such cabinets in a greatyariety of ornag mental forms It will accordingly be under.- stood that the accompanying drawings are merely illustrative and that in so faras the structural features of the cabinet are con cerned or the ornamentation thereof, the present invention is not to be limited. It is further to be understood'that the mounting and arrangement ofthe circuit closing switch together with the form and construction of various other features of the invention as above described aresusceptible of r considerable modification and that the,de-'

vice might be embodied in still other alternative constructions without departing from, the spirit and scope. of the invention asclaimed. For instance, in lieu of the trans-' lucent or transparent base plate 17 a support,

of heavy interwoven wires might be'provided. I have also referred to the trans. .lucent or transparent panels of the body of the cabinet as consisting of glass plates However, any suitable equivalent might be employed, such as a glazed fabric or textile material. I

I claim:

1. A cabinet for a telephone instrument v 1 or the like having a main telephone receiving compartment provided with translucent glass side panels and a second compartment at one end of said main compartment, said compartments being separated from each other by a glass plate, an electric lamp ar-.

ranged in saidfsecond compartment, and a switch for closing the. lamp circuit located in said second compartment and having a 1;

part projecting into the main compartment, said switch adapted to be closed when the telephone is arranged in the -'main' compartment whereby the light rays from said lamp are projected through said glassplate to illuminate the interior of the main com partmentl 2. A cabinet for housingatelephone instrument or the like comprising a base and,

a body mounted upon said base having translucentglass panels, a glass supporting 1 plate upon which the telephone instrument is adapted to be positioned, an electric lamp mounted in the, base beneath said support ing plate, and 1 a switch automatically actuated when the telephone instrument-is Y I enclosed within the cabinet body to close the circuit for said lamp; 7

3. A cabinet for telephone instruments and the like, comprising a base section and a removable body section, having translucent glass panels, adapted to be arranged-in superposed relation to said base section, a translucent supporting plate for the telephone instrument mounted in the base. section, a lamp mounted in said base section 5 beneath the supporting plate to illuminate the interior of the body section of the cabinet, anda switch automatically actuated .when the said body section is positioned in superposed relation to the base section of the cabinet to close the circuit for said lamp 10 In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, and I have signed my name i hereunder.

v FRANK COLLINS. 

